Stemmer-feeder tongs



Sept. 30, 1930. WSMWH 1,776,956

STEMMER FEEDER TONGS Filed Sept. 10, 1929 INVENTOR Mar Smilib Patented Sept. 30, 1930 umrEosrar-ss "WALTER SMITH, OF MALAGA,.GALIEORNIA1 f STEMMER-FEEDER Tones Application filed. September 10,1929. Serial No. 391,539.

This invention relates to tongsor grapples for handling What is commonly known as ming machines. 7

Such boxes when full weigh anywhere from 150 r0225 pounds and it is at present neces sary to manually lift the boxes and upset or dump the same into the feed hopper of the.

stemmer. This'is not only slow work but necessitates the servicesof two strong men box and adapted to be suspended from-a derrick or the likeyan dso constructed that contents will be dumped into thehopper without actually releasing the box from the tongs. The empty box may then be readily moved clear of the hopper and lowered to the ground before being disengaged from the tongs' 7 A further object of the invention is to pro duce a simple and inexpensive device-and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of; such structure andrelative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims. I

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the tongs as fully engaged with the box.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the tongs shown as being initially engaged with the box.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the box suspended by the tongs on a level plane the dumping position of the box belng shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 4L is a fragmentary enlarged View showing the mounting of the main tong arms on the supporting unit. 7

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing the mounting of the auxiliary or releasable box engaging arm of the tongs.

notes a pair of spaced supporting plates, mounted together as a unit and provided at" Referring now more particularly to the r 7 characters of reference on the drawings, 1 desweat. boxes, in which raisins as driedar'e placed prior to being delivered to; the stem- I the top with a ring 2 adapted for. connection to the hoist'line 3 of a derrick or the like;

Depending from between the plates are the main tong arms l', wh1ch diverge-or spreads"? away from each other sharply below the plates to enable themtostraddle astandard sweat box, 5. One arm is rigidlysecured to the plates as by spaced bolts 6, whilethe other arm is pivotallyconnected to said plates as by a single, bolt 7. The arms, however, are.

symmetrically formed relative to "each other so that they-may be interchanged if desired.

Just below the plates the arms are connected bya suitable spring device" 8 arranged to cause the lower end of the pivoted arm to move toward the corresponding end 'of the fixed arm a'certain distance;

The arms holding the lower ends" areformed with substantially vertical depending- 5 portions 4*, to extend down the outside of the box substantially parallelthereto. Said por 'ti-ons terminate in sharp pointed taper prongs f 9 which face each other transversely of the box and are adapted to bite into the wooden ,sides of the same in a non-slipping but-turn;

able manner.

8J0. Pivotally mounted on :the' ring 2*( which is disposed. centrally of the, plane of thearms,

4) is another arm 10, which extends in a 'vertical plane at right angles to the plane ofthe arms 4 in aidownward direction. "This arm terminates at its lower endin a hook-shaped portion 10 facing the plane of saidf'armse Thisportion at its lower termination has a.

jects therefrom in the horizontal plane of the 2 prong 11 but in the opposite direction. This arm is. free to swivel upwardly; about its .piv-,-

otal connection with the .ringy-but its, down ward movement is limited by a stop member. of suitable character such .as is-indicated at 13 in Fig. 5, and so arranged that the: angle' between the arm 10 and the plane of the arms 4 is never less than 90 or thereabouts.

In operation the tongs are lowered over the box to be raised and are positioned so that the arms 4 are disposed near one end of the box. One of the prongs 9 is then engaged with one side of the box adjacent said end, and the opposite arm is then spread by hand against the resistance of the spring 8 until the corresponding prong 9 is engaged with the opposite side of the box. The arms are then given a tap if necessary in order to cause the prongs to embed themselves somewhat in the wood. The tongs are then lowered further so that the arms assume an angle to the box as shown in Fig. 8, or until the lower end of the arm 10 passes over the end of the box opposite to that adjacent which the prongs 9 are disposed and the prong 11 engages the corresponding end of the box.

In performing this operation, the stop 13 prevents the arm 10 from dropping into the box without said arm having to be held up by hand, and locates said arm relative to the arms 4 on the box, as the tongs are being thus lowered and angled, so that the shoe 12 engages and rides on the box as shown in Fig. 2, until the prong 11 drops over the end of the box and engages the same. The box is then of course firmly held at three widely spaced points and may be hoisted on a level plane over the hopper of the stemming machine. If then the auxiliary box engaging arm 10 is swung up so that its prong is disengaged from the box, the latter will automatically upset or swing about the prongs 9 as an axis; said prongs remaining engaged with the box so that the latter remains supported by the tongs. lNhen it is emptied the box is withdrawn from over the hopper and lowered to the ground, being then disengaged from the tongs by manually supporting arms 4.

From the foregoing description it will be r readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviation from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: j

1. A box tongs including a support adapted to be held suspended, a pair of arms depending from the support in diverging rela tion to each other, horizontal prongs on the lower ends of the arms to swivelly engage the box on opposite sides, another arm depending from and flexibly connected to the support in a vertical plane at right angles to the plane of the first named arms and diverging toward its lower end from said plane, and an element on the lower end of said arm to engage the box at one end.

2. A structure as in claim 1, with means limiting the downward movement of said other arm toward a vertical position, and a shoe projecting from said other arm in a substantially horizontal direction from adj a cent the box engaging element but in the opposite direction.

3. A box tongs including a pair of arms diverging toward their lower ends, means connecting'the upper ends of the arms to enable them to separate relative to each other, means yieldably resisting such separation, prongs on the lower ends of the arms facing each other and adapted to swivelly engage the box on opposite sides thereof and toward one end, and means mounted in connection with said arms for releasable engagement with the opposite ends of the box.

4. A box tongs including a pair of arms diverging toward their lower ends, means connecting the upper ends of the arms to enable them to separate relative to each other, means yieldably resisting such separation, prongs on the lower ends of the arms facing each other and adapted to swivelly engage the box on opposite sides thereof and toward one end, another arm flexibly mounted in connection with said first named arms adjacent the upper ends thereof and adapted to project beyond the end of the box opposite to that adjacent which said first named arms are disposed, and an element on the lower ends of said other arm to engage said opposite end of the box.

5. A box lifting and dumping tongs including opposed arms for detachable supporting engagement with a box on opposite sides in a manner to permit of swivel movement of the box about its points of support as an axis, and means mounted in connection with said arms for releasable engagement with the box at a point such as prevents swivel movement of the same.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

WALTER SMITH. 

